LAW ON RAPISTS HISTORIC: TOP OFFICIAL
President of India clears death sentence for culprits
NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday approved an ordinance to provide death penalty for those convicted of raping girls younger than 12 years besides clearing another ordinance to confiscate property of fugitive economic offenders.
qhe President promulgated qhe Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, approved by the Cabinet on Saturday that seeks to provide effective deterrence against rape and instil a sense of security among women, particularly young girls.
qhe ordinance amends the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal on Sunday ended her nine-day fast after President Ram Nath Kovind approved an ordinance to provide death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below 12 years, calling it a “historic win.”
“I didn’t expect that our protest will take such a large shape. It is a historic win for all of us who have been demanding stringent law to punish convicted rapists,” the visibly frail Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said.
“I welcome the law and end my fast here,” the 33-year-old told the media.
Maliwal went on an indefinite hunger strike at Rajghat and refused to break it despite failing health and requests from many till the government acted seriously against those who sexually assault young girls.
“People ridiculed me when I decided to go on hunger strike. But today I can say that a woman can achieve anything. I thank each and everyone for supporting our battle,” she added.
Maliwal began her fast following the widely condemned rape and murder of an eight-year-old in Jammu and Kashmir in January and similar crimes elsewhere in the country.
“We had sent more than five lakh letters to our Prime Minister that were received by DCW but no action was taken. Finally, I had to take the step of going on fast. Our demands were so strong that the government had to bend and immediately take action to implement the new law,” Maliwal said.
“But this is not the end of our fight, this is just the beginning. We have a long way to go. If the government doesn’t implement the law within three months as promised, then I will again start my protest,” she added.
qhe ordinance comes against the backdrop of the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, the rape of a teenager in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh and similar crimes in other parts of the country.
qhe development puts in place a number of measures for speedy investigation and trial of rape cases including a two-month time limit for investigation, two months for completion of trial and six months for disposal of appeals.
Kovind also promulgated qhe Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018, which followed the Punjab National Bank fraud case, in which the main accused, diamond trader Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, fled the country after duping banks to the tune of over Rs 30,000 crore.
qhe ordinance lays down the measures to empower Indian authorities to attach and confiscate proceeds of crime associated with economic offenders and the properties of the economic offenders and thereby deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
qhe Bill is expected to re-establish the Rule Of Law as economic offenders would be forced to return to India to face trial for scheduled offences.